Classique

by Zancrowe

{Soma / Erina} As rival schools attempt to crush Tootsuki in the biggest Tournament Arc; Azami finally attempts to retake control of his daughter; while Asahi decides it's time to usurp the Nakiri Throne from that very heiress. Only problem? Erina's boyfriend. [ft. Asahi/Dove; Loren/Nao; Ryou/Alice; Isshi/Nene; Taku/Hisa; Akira/Megu] ((43 / 44: To You, 10 Years From Nao))

9. Secret Keepers

Notes:

Hey Everyone! Zancrowe Here!

One, this year has been so horrible, with the pandemic still raging on and all the caution one has to take into account while working with the Food and Safety Guidelines and the FDA. Would make for a fascinating Food Wars storyline, honestly, but I don't want to relive this nightmare even in fiction.

Two, I greatly expanded the previous Chapter of this story (Chapter 8), more specifically, the match between Akira Hayama and Hakeem Akintola. While I go into more detail on the "Why?" I did that in that Chapter's notes, long story short is that my lovely reviewer superscarface83 mentioned that it felt that that particular fight was underdeveloped, and you know what? I agree! So, if you fancy, go back, read that, and come back!

Three, I have to give a massive shout-out to another one of my lovely reviewers (you all are lovely, just FYI) Nina Vale who has recently decided to review pretty much every single chapter of both "Nouvelle" and "Classique", and not just little reviews, but a very in-depth look into each and every one. Words cannot express how greatly I appreciate this, and it's thanks to her that I have mustered the strength to get back into writing despite my workload. Thank you so much! And I really can't undersell how much reviews motivate me to push on through and deliver to you guys!

Disclaimer: Don't own Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma.

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It didn't take long to have everything set up. This entire Academy was specifically built for these sort-of last-minute shenanigans after all, so Soma ended up managing to put together a very convincing Shokugeki arena, judges' table and all in no time flat. The Polar Star kitchen was divided equally, with both Nao and Loren getting equal access to everything they would need to cook to their fullest. The judges, chosen at random at the behest of Isshiki, consisted of Shun, Daigo and Cilla, all three sworn to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Nao, for her part, looked intense. Her sharp, visible eye still glaring daggers at the boy who would be her opponent, but her form a little bit more controlled. A tranquil fury, Soma imagined, and one he noted seemed natural to the female members of their species.

Loren, on the other hand, was playing around with his phone, broken screen and all. He was avoiding looking at Nao like a champ, and had to be guided along on what he exactly had to do, since this was effectively the boy's first actual Shokugeki.

Soma stood in between them, filling in for the host of the event, something which he had little doubt on how to do, since he had seen Urara manage wonderfully for quite some time now. The other Polar Stars stood to the side, some eager, some nervous, as two of their newest recruits went at it in what was looking to be a very serious match. Well, from one side anyways.

"You sure about this whole thing?" Fumio asked, now awake and up-to-date on what had occurred. She stood next to a pensive Isshiki, who she figured had the best idea of why this was happening in the first place.

"I am," he answered. "On both accounts," he added knowingly, answering Fumio's unspoken question about relegating such a serious matter on an unprepared Soma. She just nodded at this response, since she also trusted the boy's intuition, and if Isshiki was sure, then she'd let it be.

"Well then," Soma announced, clapping his hands together as he turned to the two competitors. "Let's get the conditions for this Shokugeki sorted out. Nao, what exactly do you want from Loren?"

'For him to die,' she answered in her head with a devilish grin, but even she knew that was a bit too much. So, she shrugged, and decided to go for the most practical solution to this whole mess. "Easy," she replied, "I win, he changes dorms. I don't care where he goes, as long as he doesn't step foot inside this one again."

"Hey, do you have any idea why Nao hates Loren that much?" Mitsuru whispered to Cilla, as the two watched from the sidelines. The shorthaired twin turned to him, her look one of equal curiosity, but it still made Mitsuru visibly flinch. This girl was way too cute, why the heck was he trying to spark a conversation with her?!

"No idea," she whispered back, not noticing the boy's inner dilemma at all, "But they have been clashing since that incident with the phone. Seems like it is pretty personal for her."

"…I just can't understand it, Loren is such a nice guy," Mitsuru said, oblivious to the truth hidden just beneath the surface, "A little aloof, yeah, but if that were the case, I wouldn't get along with half of the alumni here."

"He's probably hiding something," Cilla added, and Mitsuru turned to her with a very peculiar look. She just smiled. "What? The pretty and cute ones usually do. That's why you can't judge boys based on just looks!"

"I-I'm not sure how that answers anything…" Mitsuru said, "I mean, are you distrustful of all boys like that?"

"Oh yeah, totally!" Cilla answered gleefully, before adding with a smile, "But don't you worry Mitsuru. You're not cute at all, so I trust you!"

The boy felt something break. "…Oh, sure… thanks…"

He decided against continuing the conversation with her. It didn't much matter anyways, as Cilla was amongst those quickly called in, at random, to judge the upcoming Shokugeki.

"And Loren," Soma continued, turning to the blonde. "…What would you be asking from Nao if you win?"

"…" Loren seemed to ponder for a moment, his eyes shifting from Soma to the little witch glaring at him, then back at Soma. "Well, since I'm being forced into this, might as well get some use out of it. So, if I win, creepy girl here has to do all my homework from now on."

"What?!" Nao blurted out. "You damn lazy bastard, what does that have to do with anything?"

"You don't decide what I want," Loren shot back. "You want to kick me out, which is inconvenient for me, so I'll pick something that's convenient. This place is very homework-happy, so you can help make my life easier. No problems with that, eh?" Loren asked, turning to Soma with a grin. Nao wanted to forgo the Shokugeki and settle this thing with just the knives in their possession, and Soma felt himself amused at the suggestion. Why hadn't he ever thought of that?

"I suppose it's alright," Soma noted, before eyeing Isshiki for a moment, "Right?"

"Just put an expiration date on that demand," Isshiki explained. "It's a bit too vague. Don't want her to still be under your thumb even after she graduates and you're still here."

"What? He can't!" Nao argued, her eye wide.

"Oh fine, she kicks me out it's permanent, but I want her to help me and I'm the one with limits…" Loren muttered to himself before he turned to Soma and Isshiki. "How about, she does my homework until…" 'How long until Dove's match against these guys, our so-called 'worst scenario'? If my memory serves, that would be…' "…three or four weeks from tonight. That should be enough for me to get settled in," Loren finished with a smile, while adding in his thoughts, 'And for you all to get this place shut down!'

"Sounds fair!" Soma declared, and while Nao wanted to argue it, she knew it was a moot point. She wasn't expecting to lose anyways, she couldn't afford it. Not with that monster out there, so close to her. So she shrugged, and when Soma turned to her, she just nodded, eyes closed, taking a deep breath to calm herself. Soma then explained the rules he had probably just made up on the spot. They were to use anything they could find within the dorm itself, and they had one hour to finish.

The theme? A meal that could be shared between friends.

Nao wanted to smack the redhead for that, as she was sure he was so proud of himself for thinking that one up. Trying his best to get her to get along with that snake pretending to be a Polar Star. Loren didn't get it, so he just shrugged and took out his headphones, placing them on, and with difficulty, getting something to play on his phone for him.

"Begin!" Soma declared, and Nao was the first to actually begin.

The little witch began to fill the largest pan available to the brim with water, before setting it on the oven to boil. Within minutes, she had cut up a large selection of meats and vegetables, and had tossed them into the boiling water alongside a few salts and spices. It didn't take long for everything to start boiling, and as it did, for a very nasty smell to fill out the area. And unlike Akira's match against Hakeem, this was indeed a very unpleasant experience for all those in the vicinity.

"Geez, what the hell are you boiling? A corpse?" Loren quickly whined, pinching his nose with his fingers in a wasted effort of keeping the stench out.

"That just goes to show your true colors!" Nao screamed back. "That you'd fail to see the true intent behind my technique!"

As Nao boasted, she took out her prized ingredient, Kusaya. The dried up sardines she left festering in the namesake juice for quite a while. A trademark ingredient of hers, and a sour note at the same time. 'Last time I truly utilized this, I ended up failing, Big Sis Hisako proved too much for me at the time. Oh~ Hisako~'

Loren just looked on, half paying attention to the nearly drooling girl, but focusing more on his audio and the fact that he could barely breathe. If this kept up, she was going to win, on the account of him fainting mid Shokugeki.

"And now for the grand design, the absolutely most perfect stew for any elite. A pity, that our queen isn't here to savor it, but I guess her… boyfriend will have to do," Nao bitterly added that last remark, as she frowned a bit towards Soma, who just amusingly cocked his head to the side, goofy grin still present.

"You really like Erina, huh?" Soma noted, blissfully unaware.

"You'd be a fool not to, that girl is perfection!" Nao replied, with great pride, hand over heart. If there was one hill she'd die on, it was this. That no matter who or what, Erina Nakiri was the unbeatable Goddess who'd always have her way. And someone Nao could only dream of serving food to.

"Yeah, no arguments there," Soma added, still smiling.

Loren too, for his part, looked pretty engaged with his cooking, to the point of almost looking mechanical. It was here Soma set his eyes on him. Fully.

'I can't deny that I've been curious about you since you first got here,' he admitted. 'That dish you made actually beat mine-Well, not beat beat, I mean beat as in beat the version of my dish I recreated, because I didn't lose to-Okay, Soma, buddy, keep your Ego in check. Settle down, you are an unbiased observer, act like it… Just say you are curious to see what this kid can do…'

Isshiki also had his eyes on Loren, as the blonde boy seemed to be struggling with the smell more than he was struggling with his dish. Still, after some time, well before the one-hour limit was up, both contestants seemed just about ready.

"And it's done!" Nao declared, covering her masterpiece with a lid, and finally allowing all those in the dorm to breathe again. Loren, also finished, said nothing, merely taking off his headphones and storing them away in his pockets.

"Alright, looks like it's time… Judges?" Soma declared, turning to the trio seated at the end of the table, as both Nao and Loren presented their dishes to them. The entirety of the Polar Star Dorms quickly moved in to see, as in one side, they could see Nao's sewage-like fishy stew, while in the other rested Loren's unassuming club sandwiches. Neither dish seemed like top tier Tootsuki material, but they all knew better than that.

"…Am I supposed to put that in my mouth?" Cilla tearfully asked, pointing to Nao's dish. No one had to actually answer her, but she asked all the same.

"Looks like we ended up getting the short end of the straw here eh-Shun?" Daigo began, but paused the moment he saw their other "judge" in a very pensive state. More-so than usual at that.

"…This," Shun voiced, as he motioned and took hold of one of Loren's many bite-sized sandwiches. They were made with pulled-pork, a mixture of cheeses and veggies, plus some type of sauce. Lots of sauce. They were practically dripping. And thanks to Nao's stew's aroma, it was hard to notice, but upon getting the up close, they did release a very intense fragrance of their own.

"Well, here goes nothing," a downcast Cilla spoke up, before she served herself a cup of the stew, and took a spoonful of it onto her lips. She drowned the black liquid as fast as she could, expecting the worse, but of course, the moment she did, she was hit by a very delicious flavor. "I-It's good! It's really good!"

"Let me try that!" Daigo said, and he too took a spoonful. In no time, the young man was in ecstasy. "Damn! That's some good stuff right there!"

"See that," Nao turned to Loren, a very satisfied smirk in her face. "That's the true power behind my style. I've been busting my ass to get to a level where I'll be noticed by Milady Erina. Don't think some random ass kid is going to get in-between that."

"…Whatever floats your boat sweetie," was all Loren responded, his attention still only half there, at most.

She was about to argue, curse him out or something, but then the judges ate his dish. And it was only a second. Just one second was enough for Nao to realize… just how utterly severely Loren had outperformed her.

"Damn! This is amazing!" Cilla blurted out, standing up, reaching out and grabbing a few more of the sandwiches. "T-They just melt in your mouth, how utterly delicious!"

"These are hands down the best sandwiches I've ever had in my life!" Daigo declared, with a fist into the air. Quickly, thanks to the over enthusiastic display of the two, the other Polar Stars quickly went in and grabbed a piece, and in time, they were all in a massive state of bliss. Indeed, the flavor was near indescribable.

Last among these, however, was Soma, who took his time taking a piece. He examined it briefly in his hand, allowing the sauce to moisten his fingers, before taking the bite. It was all the described and more. 'T-This flavor, it's so intense. But this doesn't make any sense! With a technique like this, what's this kid even doing here? A dish like this, could come close to competing with us at the International Shokugeki. It's that damn good! He should at least skip a grade… I mean, do they do that here? I dunno… But…' Soma paused, turning from the art to the artist. 'That look in his eyes… He's calm. Uninterested, just like before. How on Earth do you manage to pull this off, without any sort of passion whatsoever?'

It seemed, Soma noted, that Shun was having similar thoughts. As the only judge not to voice his opinion after tasting either dish, Soma could tell his peer was deep in thought, and that was an opinion Soma really wanted to hear.

Then they gave out their score. And everything in Nao's very being broke.

Winner: Loren.

And the blonde boy said nothing, merely frowning at the given score, as opposed to what he had expected, he had only gotten two votes out of the possible three. And, despite himself, it irked him. This was such an insult to her that he had to refrain from voicing his complaints.

"No. No!" Nao shouted out, slamming her hands onto the judges' table, right before the three, or more specifically, before the two that voted against her. "I put my heart and soul into that stew! That snake didn't even try! He threw all that shit together without worry or care! I can't lose to that!"

"S-Sorry, it's just…" Cilla tried, but she couldn't quite find the words to tell Nao that Loren's dish outclassed hers in pretty much everything. She didn't want to get a hex put on her.

"Nao," Soma interrupted, taking a step right next to the fuming girl. She turned, furry mixed with tears evident in her features, and Soma felt genuinely bad for her. He did, but he couldn't argue with the results. He would have probably voted the same. "You need to understand, we've been unbiased from the start. This isn't an attack against you… Here, try it."

As he said this, Soma motioned to the leftover sandwiches Loren had made. Nao's expression turned to one of someone who had just been spat on, while for once, Loren actually looked amused, his eyes fully focused on the little witch, a clear smirk on his face. One she very, very much would love nothing more than carving up right there and then. But, deep down, she knew Soma was right. If she had any hopes of her complains being heard, she needed to taste the dish herself, compare it to her own. So she figure she'd do it, take the plunge, prove to them all how wrong they were…

…So she took a bite.

And the resulting flush of flavors that covered her very being was outright orgasmic in nature, caressing her taste buds in a way they never have been before, sending a wave of pleasure up and down her spine with every bite…

There she was, desperate to get away. Desperate to get answers, her last resort before her. So she asked him to speak up, to say something, to say anything. But He did not respond. She stammered, broken, and turned away, before she heard his voice whisper into the darkness, like a kiss to the base of her spine.

"What does thou want?"

"What can thou give?" Nao asked in turn, her eyes widening slightly. She turned, and she saw Him before her.

"Does thou like the taste of my… sauce? Does thou like to live… deliciously?"

"Y-Yes," she said, her body already beginning to tremble, but even she herself not understanding if out of fear or ecstasy.

"Would thou like to see the culinary world?"

"What will you from me?" Nao asked, biting her lower lip.

"Does thou see the cookbook before me?" the voice asked, as he began to move. Before her, on a table, now rested a massive book, its cover seemingly made out of human flesh. It pulsed, as if it were in pain. "Remove thy shift."

Her eyes still wide, she slowly took hold of the upper part of her dress, and with a firm tug, she allowed it to fall to the ground. Allowed it all to fall off. There she ended, exposed in body and soul before this boy, as he walked right around her, taking in the entire sight before Him.

"…I cannot write my name," she admitted.

"I will guide thy hand…" He replied.

And then, he took hold of the little vvitch's very soul.

Nao Sadatsuka (White) was reborn!

In a flash, the girl before them turned into a picturesque model, her very look and poise a stark contrast from the girl they all new, all before she let out a massive scream in defiance, as she seemed to turn back to her normal self, leaving the group questioning whether they had just imagined the whole thing.

Nao Sadatsuka (White) has ended again!

"H-How…?!" Nao asked, her knees on the ground, her lower lip trembling. She clenched her fists, as she turned to Loren, a very… confused look on his face right now. "How the hell can you cook like that?! You don't even look like you're trying! And I know you're working with them! You're only here to hurt us! And no one believes me!" as she cried out, she began to actually cry, leading to several of the Polar Stars to step in and usher to her side. Megumi, Yuuki, Ryoko and Madoka the first of them all, as they tried to help her calm down. Fumio did as well, while Isshiki looked on.

As did Soma. The boy's eyes shifted from the broken girl to the Shokugeki's winner. And, for the first time since he got there, Loren wasn't smiling.

-0-

After everything died down, Loren found himself staring at the ceiling, now finally back on his room, the ever comforting silence he had long wanted and needed. But, thanks to everyone in that blasted building, sleep now eluded him. He frowned, trying to force his eyes closed, cursing at the fact that these people took this cooking thing way too seriously.

'How much longer must I stay here?' he asked himself, even if he knew it was for as long as Azami needed him to. It had sounded fun, at first, to be undercover at the enemies' location. Just like the movies. He could mess around, gather intel, and even check out a few cute girls along the way. And it had been fun, for the first few days at least. But… it wasn't fun anymore.

'Why did she have to start to cry…?'

Then he heard a soft knock on the door. He pouted at the door, wondering if he should simply ignore it and pretend to be asleep, but then the banging could get louder and he'd have to get up regardless. He sighed, and stood up from his covers. Opening the door revealed the last person he had expected.

"Nao?" he blurted out, probably the first time he had ever used her actual name. If she took notice of this, she didn't say. Despite no longer bawling her eyes out, she did still look like she had clearly been crying for a while, her eyes red, her nose stuffy, and her cheeks flushed. She looked like a mess, and he did not like the fact that she blamed him for that state.

"…Just give me your homework," she stated, her tone the most stoic he had ever heard her utter.

"Oh… right," he noted, turning back and reaching out to his backpack haphazardly tossed onto the floor. He took out a folder, and slowly handed it out to her, wary of her attempting to stab him or something. "This would be it."

"Hmm," she voiced, as she opened the folder and took a quick glance through the documents in it. Despite herself, she couldn't help but frown more and more with every page, before she turned her frown to him. "You haven't done a single thing?"

"I was going to," he defended, poorly. "To be fair, I didn't set this up. The whole homework thing was just me getting caught with my pants down, so to speak."

"…Figures," she muttered, clearly angry, and Loren had no idea what to even say. Normally he'd just toss her the folder and slam the door on her face, but he didn't really want to do that. "…And," she added, taking a brief pause. Loren looked on, somewhat surprised. "You won our match. I won't… challenge you again. Hell, even if I did, you wouldn't accept it anyways. So, can you please give me my picture back? I-I'll pay for it, just, don't give it to my brother."

"…I," Loren tried, before he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He placed his hand on the door's frame, as both enemies stared at each other eye-to-eye for what seemed like the first time. "I didn't take anything. I really have no idea what picture you're even talking about."

She said nothing, but her frown grew. She clearly did not believe him.

"Here," he added, pushing the door fully opened. "Step inside, look around. I don't even know what picture you mean."

"…You're not lying are you?" Nao noted, with pain in her eyes. "…Not about this."

"…Yeah," he admitted despite really not meaning to, but as soon as he tried to explain himself, how he had been replying only to the first part of her statement, she just shrugged.

"Then, it has to be…" she said, and he could see how in her mind something horrible must have flashed. "No. During today's Shokugeki, it must have been him. He must have been in my room!"

"Wait, what? Who-?" Loren tried, but no sooner had she realized something than had Nao quickly turned away and practically ran back to her room, leaving the boy confused as all hell. 'What the hell is wrong with her? She's like the most dramatic person in a whole school full of drama queens…'

Then despite himself, her words flashed across his mind briefly, and Loren couldn't help but frown.

"…just, don't give it to my brother."

-0-

She had just taken probably the longest bath in her entire life, and she felt utterly amazing afterwards. It had been a long day, an amusing one at that, if not just a little disappointing. Since Tootsuki had managed to scrape another win, this time without losing a single member, festivities at the Resort where kept to a minimum. It was sad, but as such, she simply decided to forgo all types of social scenarios and merely stick to enjoying herself in her room. At least in here she'd get away from Gautier and all his idiotic one-liners.

Then her phone rang, and her "me-time" got interrupted. She pouted childishly at this, but given who it was, she'd at least humor him for a little while.

"Sup Loren!" Dove greeted with a cheeky smile.

"I want to get out of here!" Loren dismissed the greeting all together and jumped straight to the point, catching his would-be elder sister by surprise.

"Huh?" she asked, her head titled to the side. "What are you even-?"

"I was just forced into one of those stupid things you're doing," Loren explained. "And it gets harder and harder to do your dishes right. I probably even made a mistake somewhere, since one of the so-called judges gave a point to that annoying girl."

"Oh, is that all?" Dove merely shrugged, and she could vividly imagine Loren twisting up with worry at her comment. "Relax, will you? I told Azami you were a horrible actor, that you'd get caught eventually. Still, props, you lasted longer than I thought!" then she paused, as she grinned utterly childishly, "Bet-ya I'll be the last girl to ever tell you that!"

"Can you not?!" he blasted back, clearly embarrassed as she merely laughed. "This is serious! You're over there at a fancy resort with a fancy pool while I'm stuck here in this loony bin sharing a bathroom with seven other dudes and a bath with everyone! It's not fair!"

"Heh, I know, but don't worry too much, you'll be out of there in no time," she assured. "And who cares if they find out? That's even better for you! You get kicked out, and you can come and stay here with me."

He muttered something, clearly not convinced, and Dove just laughed a bit more. He was always like this, very serious and dedicated one minute, then all worried and freaking out the next. "That said, I already spoke to Azami," she told him, taking a seat on her very cozy bed, a far cry from the one he was probably using, but she'd best keep that to herself. "You should be getting a new phone delivered to the dorm in the next day or two."

"Oh," Loren paused, like a little kid being reminded of a present. "…Right. Oh, and I should tell him…"

"Tell him what?"

"That he's right," Loren explained. "Ever since we arrived, Soma has been spending less and less time with his daughter. I barely ever see him talking to her, and not once have I seen her here."

"It's a high school romance," Dove said, as she stared at the ceiling, her mind briefly flashing back to something she would rather not. "…They never end well. It's a good thing we're here. Azami will take good care of her. A daughter needs her father after all."

"Hmm…"

"What's with that pensive tone?"

"…Just," Loren paused, and for a moment Dove wondered what had happened to get him to sound so… off. Before she could ask, in her mind already imagining herself going to pick him up, secret mission be damned, he spoke up. And it was not what she had at all expected. "Your teammate, the creepy one… Do you think he's the type to, you know, be abusive or something?"

"Where did that come from?" she asked, genuinely taken aback. "You mean Ashitaro? Or Asahi? They both have their creepy moments."

"The first one," Loren replied. "It's just… Was he with you guys watching the Shokugeki today?"

"Today?" Dove repeated, pondering slightly. "He… wasn't actually. Stayed behind here at the resort. Why?"

"…So that's it."

"What are you…?"

"Oh, Nevermind me Dove," Loren lied, she could quite clearly tell. "Just thinking out loud."

"…Loren, if there's something you-" she began, but her phone began to vibrate on her face, causing her to frown. Great, more interruptions. "-Hey, kiddo, got a call, probably Azami wanting someone to gloat to. I'll call you tomorrow, go to sleep."

"Yeah, yeah."

So she ended the call with the boy and turned towards her vibrating phone, finding that her two assumptions had been completely wrong. One, it wasn't a call, it was a video call. And two, it wasn't Azami at all.

"Mom?" she greeted with a question, as her mother's face came into frame on her phone. It wasn't much of a surprise of her getting a call from her mom, but rather the hour. "What time is it over there?"

"Early," her mother replied, "But not too early that I can't give my daughter a call. Given how she tends to forget to do so herself, like, always."

"Mom, I'm working," Dove defended, pouting at the camera, letting her mother clearly know she shouldn't be mad at her baby-girl. "Stuff here has been insane, but lookie," she added, shifting her phone's camera from her face to her surroundings, proudly boasting at her new, super expensive surroundings, "Look at this place! It's so fancy! See, told ya your daughter is becoming a big shot in the culinary world!"

"That looks amazing dear!" she heard her mother reply, awestruck, as one should. "I'm so happy you've managed all of this. But I always told you, the sky's the limit, and you have limitless potential. So you deserve that and more. Are you still working for the Nakiri family?"

"Umm… yeah, totally," she lied. She was working for one of them at least, sort-of, kinda.

"I really have to give that family my thanks," her mother added, and Dove felt her eyes leave her sockets.

"Mom! No! I mean, I'm a professional. You know how embarrassing it would be for my mommy to come in and thank my bosses? So unprofessional," she argued, and felt a sign of relief the moment her mother seemed to nod in agreement.

"That's true, sorry, old habits die hard I guess," her mother lamented with a smile, and Dove felt her soul slowly return to her body. But then the conversation shifted to the worst possible place. "That said, sweetie, Baby Ruth keeps asking about you."

"…Oh," Dove voiced, her tone shifting ever so slightly, "…How is she?"

"She's doing great! Already fully potty trained, and… almost capable of eating all her food!" her mom replied with a soft smile and a proud look in her eyes.

"Oh, already?" Dove noted with a sense of pride that felt almost alien to her, "…Just like me huh? Another little genius on the family!"

"You?" her mom noted with an amused look. "You refused to wear panties until you were almost four. I've never seen a lazier baby than you," she said, and Dove frowned, blushed and pouted. But then she saw her mother move onscreen, and much to her horror, she did exactly want she did not want her mother to do. "…And here she is, look Ruthie, it's Dove!"

The little girl on screen, sharing the same dark hair that Dove and her mother did, and the same bright eyes, glanced at the screen, a shy smile on her face. Dove felt her throat dry up, as she looked much bigger than she had last seen her, even if she had only recently turned three. "Baby" Ruth looked just as surprised as Dove herself did, so the older girl pushed her feelings aside and tried to talk.

"…Ruthie, hey sweetie, how's… sis' little girl?"

"Dove!" was Baby Ruth's excited little greeting once she was able to recognize the girl on the other side of the screen, most likely thanks to videos or photos shared to her by her mother, as she seemed to light up the moment she recognized who she was "talking" too. Her smile was priceless.

"You be a good girl and do everything mommy tells you too, okay?" Dove told the little girl, and after a little back and forth, most of which was from Dove's end, Dove turned to her mother, "Mom," she voiced, and she knew her voice was beginning to crack. "I have a long week ahead and –"

"Oh, I know, I'll call you again soon," her mother replied, "And of course, anything you need, you just tell me. Even if what you need is a plane ticket, okay. This door is always open for you."

"…I know," Dove replied, and just as it had started, the phone call ended, and once more, the girl was alone. Just like she wanted, right?

She sat laid alone on her bed, her eyes staring at the ceiling once again, a jumbled mess of thoughts invading her mind. And just as she had sworn to herself so many damn times in the past to never do again, the little, lost girl cried herself to sleep once more.

-0-

Erina Nakiri woke up to the best sleep she had had in ages.

Soma Yukihira woke up to the worst sleep he had had in months.

Erina got out of her covers, stretched as much as her body needed her to, and slowly motioned towards her private bathroom. Her mourning routine began as it usually did, with her quickly setting up a nice, warm bath to shake off that morning chill. She disrobed slowly, taking care to set her sleep clothes to the side, before taking a little look at the fogging bathroom mirror. God, her hair was sure getting long. It was already reaching past her waist. She passed her hand through it, and it bothered her a bit that she was looking more and more like her mother every day. Still, she recalled her father usually praising her long, flowing hair; so she had no intention of shortening it in the slightest.

Soma almost fell of his bed when the alarm went off. He forced himself up, swearing the nights were getting shorter, as he made his way towards the bathroom… there was a line. Already he could hear Daigo pounding on the door, screaming at Marui to hurry up, while the clearly occupied boy screamed back to give him time. Behind him, was Loren, whose death glare looked like he was outright ready to commit mass murder right then and there. Soma, couldn't say he didn't understand. Once, boy by boy, Soma finally got his turn, he did his mourning routine in a flash, not wanting to be the cause of another line himself. As he washed his face, however, he paused, his tired face reflecting back to him from the foggy mirror. The boy sighed, he looked like shit.

After her bath, Erina was dressed quickly enough. Given that it was Sunday, she could at least warrant the use of her more casual attires, which she admittedly seldom used. As soon as she was ready, she happily skipped her way towards her door, going out of her room and making her merry way down the hall. It was strange, she would come to note; how it felt like for the first time since her grandfather had last been within this manor she actually felt happy in her home. Then she paused, mid-skip. She had forgotten her phone, still probably charging on her nightstand. So, the princess twirled around, and went back for it. While she wasn't someone to spend every waking hour with her face to a screen, she still needed to keep herself reachable, especially if Hisako or any of her Elite Ten classmates needed her for anything. So she went back to her room, quickly took hold of her beyond expensive phone, within its diamond encrusted cover, unblocked it to see if anyone had texted or called her, and froze.

He couldn't take a bath now, because it wasn't the boys' time yet, so Soma had to settle for a washed up face and a quick change of clothes. Back in his room, Soma began to motion through the pile of clothes he had on the floor, wondering if the jeans he was seeing in the bottom where wearable or not. He recalled Erina complaining to him about it, asking why on Earth did he put a pair of jeans on the floor, inches from the clothes hamper, instead of in it. He merely looked at her confused, because it was obvious the hamper was for dirty clothes, while his jeans, while not clean, were not yet dirty. She was so impressed by his answer she didn't even respond, or at least, he thinks. So, deciding he could in fact use these jeans once more, he got dressed and took hold of his phone and wallet, before pausing, his eyes on the former.

Erina's eyes widened a bit, as the last screen she had opened on her phone had been her messages, or more specifically, her messages with Soma. 'That's right, I was going to text him last night, before…' she realized, and immediately her face went a bit pale. 'I mean, nothing's wrong, right? We've been busy, is all… Not like before…' she continued, as she skimmed up the messages from days ago. Then further up, to weeks ago. Then months, up until their relationship officially began. Back then, they didn't stop texting. And whenever they did, it was because they were speaking, or outright seeing each other. She would write entire paragraphs at him, he'd answer in kind. '…And lately… just a few words…'

Soma looked at his phone grimly, his finger unblocking the device and reminding him that, yes, he never got around to texting Erina. There it was, their messages, with not a single new text from either of them since a few days ago. 'Ever since this Shokugeki started, we've been texting less and less,' he noted, '…It's not like we've fought or something, we've just been preoccupied… well, she's been preoccupied. Family stuff, and this Academy is hers, so unlike me, or any of us really, she really has stakes in this. So it shouldn't… feel like this,' he softly admitted, before his finger hovered over the keyboard. 'I should just man up and write something… shouldn't I?'

Erina kept on going back, almost to the very beginning of it all, when he had gotten hold of her number thanks to Hisako, which she had to accept out of sheer necessity thanks to Akira forcing them to pair up all the way back then. She began to read, a small smile forming.

Soma stopped himself, pushing onto the screen instead, going back up, to when their conversations began, trying to see if he could pinpoint exactly when it had all gone wrong. It was weird, reading this all again, including seeing himself text to her by "Nakiri" instead of by "Erina".

Then they read. It really all started the day of her second match with Akira, when Soma had been now long gone from the halls of Tootsuki, and she was hell-bent on pretending it didn't bother her that much. And it all read very much like a story.

5:58 PM

Soma: "Best of luck out there. Make them regret ever challenging the best girl."

Erina: "You watching?"

Soma: "Sure am."

Erina: "How do I look?"

Soma: "Like my future girlfriend."

Erina: "Whst?"

Erina: "What?*"

Soma: "Sorry, loser friend of mine typed that. Didn't mean to upset you."

6:10 PM

Soma: "Erina."

Soma: "Erina."

Soma: "Erina."

Soma: "Erina."

Soma: "Erina."

Soma: "Erina."

Soma: "Erina."

Soma: "Erina."

Soma: "Erina."

Soma: "Erina."

Soma: "Erina."

Soma: "Erina."

Soma: "Erina."

Soma: "Erina."

Soma: "Erina."

Soma: "Erina."

Soma: "Erina."

Soma: "Erina."

Soma: "Erina."

Soma: "Erina."

6:22 PM

Soma: "You look absolutely stunning, as always, and this is really me. If you'd let me, I'll give you a call once the event is finished and you're doing the paperwork, if you can. Best of luck, Erina."

3:56 AM

Erina: "Could you open the front door for me?"

And that was the point of no-return. They never stopped texting after that. And, they both noted, it really did read like a story. A slow-burn romance, with their ups and the downs, its twist and turns, all of it almost novelistic in nature.

Erina frowned, darted back down to their last text, a far cry from their earlier ones, so cold and formal that it outright hurt. So she took a deep breathe, and pressed her finger on the keyboard.

Soma darted back to the end, deciding to follow through on his decision, and began to type something, a simple "hello" or "good morning" or even "sup!" at least. But then he noticed something, and stopped. She was typing?

Erina immediately stopped, pulling her finger away as if she had been burn. Soma was typing something. She couldn't help but smile giddily at the sight, and once more, like the first time, her heart was at her throat. But then, he stopped. 'Wait… no.'

Soma frowned the moment he saw the little symbol that showed that she was typing was gone, signifying that she had stopped. 'She stopped. Was it not me she wanted to text?' he thought, 'No, none of that, this shouldn't be scarier that that night.'

'No, I can't just not text him. Why is this so hard? It's Soma! So, stop being such a little girl and write something!' she outright screamed to herself.

'No, I can't leave it at this. I… don't want to lose what we have. It's Erina, for crying out loud. So, come on man, write something!' he outright screamed to himself.

And they did. At the same time.

Erina: "Good morning."

Soma: "Hey."

And the both took a breath of relief the moment they read the other's text. Erina closing her eyes and taking a seat on her bed and Soma placing his hand on his forehead, brushing his bangs back a bit.

Soma: "Yeah, morning! Sleep well?"

Erina: "Yes. For once I actually went to sleep at an adequate time. Sort of. You?"

Soma: "Yeah, totally, fine."

Soma: "Kinda, actually no."

Soma: "I barely slept. I had to set up a last minute Shokugeki here because two of our new dorm-mates want to kill each other."

Erina: "What? Are you having problems at the Polar Star Dorms?"

Erina: "Also, that should be dealt with by the dorm-mother, not you."

Soma: "No, it's fine. I am an Elite Ten Member now, right? So I kinda have to help out."

Erina: "Nonsense. You have enough in your plate as is. This Intercontinental Shokugeki is the single most important event in our history. They shouldn't add any more stress onto you, at all. Do you need me to kick both of those students out?"

Soma: "No!"

Soma: "Relax, it wasn't that big of a deal."

Soma: "Think Isshiki helping me back at the cruise. We took care of it."

Soma: "Geez, Erina, shouldn't we be trying to avoid kicking more of our own out at this point?"

Erina: "I suppose…"

Erina: "You're probably right. But try not to lose sleep resolving someone else's problem. If you need me to give them a stern talking to, I'll be happy to oblige."

Soma: "I think Nao would be overjoyed if you did."

Erina: "…Oh."

Erina: "Her."

Soma: "So you do know her."

Erina: "…She's… something. Hisako has warned me about her on occasions. She's at Polar Star?"

Soma: "Yeah, and she's not that bad. I mean, she's a character all right, but that's practically a requirement to be in this school at this point."

Erina: "So… I'm a character?"

'Wow,' Soma thought to himself with a nervous smile. 'Now that takes me back. That's Erina alright. I kinda forgot how much of a minefield texting with her could be.'

Erina: "I'm joking, obviously."

'Take the whole "ice-queen" act down a notch,' Erina thought to herself with a pout. 'Last thing I want is for him to think I'm mad… So… should I just say it? Just text him that I want to see him…?'

Erina: "So… what are you doing today?"

'Wait, does this mean she wants to hang out?' Soma thought, his eyes widening a bit. 'She used to do this all the time, trying to make it look like the idea didn't come from her… So, if I just play along…'

Soma: "Not much. I'm free today. You?"

Erina: "I was planning on working on a new dish I'm trying to perfect. It's very important."

It was after she hit send she realized her mistake. Her eyes went wide. 'You idiot, now he'll think I'm busy! That was not the way to phrase that! Okay, how do I fix that?'

'Damn, I read that wrong,' Soma noted with a sigh. Things were clearly not as good as he had hoped. Still she had made it vividly clear how this Shokugeki was like no other, so he couldn't fault her for wanting to focus on it fully. He shouldn't be so selfish.

Soma: "Oh, if you're busy, I can text you later. Don't want to mess your concentration up."

Erina: "No!"

Erina: "I mean, I'm not doing that, like, right now."

Erina: "In fact, I don't have anything on my agenda right now."

Erina: "I might even take the day off, leave that whole thing for tomorrow, who knows."

'Erina, sweetie, you are very hard to decipher…' Soma noted.

'Erina, you idiot, could you be any more confusing?' Erina noted.

Soma: "Oh, okay. I mean, if you're free…"

Erina: "Yes?"

Soma: "…Would you like to hang out?"

Then he hit send. It was surreal. It felt nerve-wrecking, like if he was asking her out for the first time all over again. His hands were almost shaking, like way back in the cruise, when he had the perfect chance to kiss her, after that more than perfect dance between the two, and yet he froze. Which is why he texted her that without even thinking it, because he had long promised both her and himself he wouldn't be afraid anymore. But even so… boy did the wait for a reply feel like an eternity.

Why was she taking so long? A simple "yes" was easy enough to type. Heck, a "no" was even quicker. Was she making up an excuse? No, she wouldn't. Maybe she was interrupted? Or maybe her phone had run out of juice, at that very moment?

He just laughed at himself at this point, wondering why on Earth were relationships so damn complicated.

Then his phone rang. He answered quickly, barely even taking the time to look at the caller ID. He knew.

"Hey," he answered.

"Hey yourself," she replied back, and he sighed in relief when he could tell she was smiling. "Sorry I took a bit, couldn't find my headphones."

"Oh, no biggie," he downplayed, ignoring the fact that he had probably left skid marks on his wooden floor thanks to all the pacing he did waiting for a reply. "…So, Erina-"

"No."

"Huh?" Soma couldn't help but blurt out, his eyes blank, his expression frozen. He felt his body temperature go below zero, as he had not expected such a rejection, with such a cheery tone to boot. "Ah… huh?"

"I do not want to hang out with you Soma Yukihira, what am I, a middle schooler? Soma, please, we have a lot of responsibilities now, we have not the time to waste," she told him matter-of-factly, and he had no idea how to even process it all.

"…Oh, sorry, my bad, just thought-" he tried. He really did.

"Soma…" she cut in, and he could outright picture her warm smile, which went totally against what she was saying, until, "…W-Would you like to take me out, o-on a proper date instead?"

-0-

He reached the Nakiri Manor's front gates a few hours later, at the time set by her, after a little back and forth with her somewhat nervously making sure he was okay with that. They settled for a night out, dinner and all, the first actual date between the two in what seemed like forever. As such, Soma decided that the jeans were dirty after all, and he needed a fresh pair of clothes. He had never taken so long to decide on what to wear, so much that he ended up calling Takumi for advice.

Soma noted that his blonde rival seemed a bit… off. The redhead inquired about it, asking if everything was alright, but the Italian assured the Japanese that nothing was wrong, that he was imagining things, and asking what he needed, since if it was a Shokugeki he wanted, Takumi was up for it, International Shokugeki be damned. Soma had to fight back the urge to agree to that, since if he stood up Erina for a duel, he'd… well, it wouldn't end up pretty for him.

So, ignoring the feeling in his gut, Soma asked his friend for fashion advice, likely one of the last things Takumi expected to hear coming out of Soma's mouth. It took a bit of explaining on Soma's part, but Takumi got the general idea of things, and after some back and forth, finally managed to settle on something Soma could wear that would make him look proper enough, a simple selection of jacket, jeans and shirts that matched properly, and, most important of all…

"For the love of God Yukihira," Takumi had been extra specific here, "Put of some decent shoes. Do not show up to her front door on your chef shoes."

"As if I'd be so stupid," Soma had retorted, as he ran back into his room and changed his chef shoes into something far more proper.

So, decked out like a Takumi-lite, Soma Yukihira found himself stepping out of his motorbike, two helmets on his possession, one on his head, the other reserved for her. And only her, as she had made vividly clear when he first bought it, after almost forcing her not to pay for it herself. Or buy him ten more if he wanted them, or a new bike… or the entire store. She had a habit of offering stuff like that.

As soon as he set foot before the gate, the place he was once outright blacklisted from coming in, twice even, he saw a little mistake in his planning.

There she was, dressed so differently that he almost didn't recognize her. She was still insanely beautiful, so much that he almost forgot how to breathe. But seeing her in semi-casual clothing, a flower patterned, long-sleeved, buttoned blouse of sorts with a short, black leathered skirt with a layer of diamond-like stones (which he really wouldn't be surprised were actual diamonds), also in a flower pattern. And even her shoes, black and high reaching, almost to the middle of her shins. It still… showed off a lot of leg. Way more than he was used to. He really should try to keep his eyes upwards.

Also, she was standing right next to the open door of one of her limousines, clearly planning on getting them to their destination with it.

"Soma," Erina called out as soon as she saw him, and she had to admit she was surprised to see him so… properly dressed. Nothing fancy, but well put together. He really didn't know how to dress, that much she knew, but those very few times he did, he nailed it. She couldn't stop herself from eyeing him from top to bottom, and blushing a bit as she did.

She wouldn't say it, but she was weak to seeing him rocking such outfits. Tuxedos included. Granted, he hardly ever wore those. Not since Riko Ebisawa's event has she seen him wear such clothing, and boy did they fit him well. She still remembered the first time she saw him wearing something so fancy, something outright handpicked by her, it was almost unreal.

That night out in New York.

How long ago had that been? Their first date… Too long, she figured.

"Hey Erina," he motioned to her, stepping towards her, removing his helmet in the process. Soon enough, he reached her, and took hold of her hand. He lingered in her touch, almost caressing her with his thumb, and flashed a smile at her of both adoration and relief. "You look very nice."

"You too," she said, with a slight nudge of her head that could almost be confused for flirting, and she motioned to the limousine. "Any destination in mind? Knowing you, you want out of Tootsuki for a while, so maybe we can… huh?" then she noticed the other helmet. "…Oh, you wanted to take a ride?"

"I, yeah, I was planning on it, clearly didn't properly convey that," he admitted, nervously looking back at his bike, then back at the limo. It was pretty clear which one was the best option.

"Oh, okay," Erina stated, as she signaled to the limo. "So… should I call this off? I mean, if you want to ride the bike, we can."

"You want to ride with me?" Soma asked, outright shocked. "I mean, that's what I had planned, but… honestly, you're dressed way too… what's the best word? Awesome, for this," he pointed to the bike with his thumb. He also noted how short her skirt was, not the best for riding a bike, but he'd rather not voice that observation.

"…I can change," she suggested.

"Please don't," he answered almost instantly.

She laughed, the nervousness showing itself a bit. "So…?"

"We can take a bike ride on our next date," he suggested, going back and pushing his bike inside the compounds, setting it to the side, alongside both helmets. "For now," he added, turning to the breathtaking sight before him. "We'll settle for a happy medium. We use your ride, but my destination."

"Oh? And that would be?"

"Now where's the fun in me telling you?" Soma replied with that damn infuriating smirk she both loved and hated in equal measure. Bypassing the pouting princess, Soma reached the limo's driver, tapping on the window softly. The driver lowered the window, and Soma quickly whispered a few things to the man, who Erina could see nod a bit, before he turned to Soma for a brief second, before giving the boy a solid thumbs up.

They got on, and within moments, they were off, leaving the Manor's grounds and on their way to the destination Soma had chosen, with Erina wondering where exactly he wanted to take her. Also, she really wanted her knees to stop shaking, because they both sat right next to each other, in that big, empty limousine, and his perfume was intoxicating her.

"So… How's everything been?" Soma asked, breaking the ice that had slowly formed the moment they had first gotten in. It almost felt like that first ride they both took together, her being the one person in the entire world that he had the hardest time talking to.

"Fine," she answered almost too quickly. "My family has been fighting hard to keep everything in check. We didn't notice it before, but without Grandfather around, there's… a massive hole within us all. We are having a hard trying to divide his responsibilities between us all."

"Have you heard anything?" Soma asked, his eyes set on hers, his tone softer. "About the old man, I mean. How is he?"

"Stubborn," she almost spat out. "He barely updates us on anything, and when he does, it's just with Uncle. He's much too prideful to tell his granddaughters how he's feeling… And I'm starting to worry…"

"He's a strong man," Soma noted. "If it was anything serious, I'm sure he'd have spoken to you and Alice."

"Our school… my home is under attack," Erina countered, turning to Soma, her eyes searching for something in his, neither sure of what. "Why wouldn't he at least allow me to talk to him over the phone? If he were… healthy, he'd be keeping tabs on us, helping out as best he could… Plus, he'd never allow Father to even enter our home."

"Your father's been into your manor?" Soma asked, honestly taken back.

"I-Oh," Erina paused, her words twisting a bit. "…He has," she admitted, slowly. Glancing at the boy before him she could tell he did not like the thought of that, as his features clearly indicated. How was she supposed to tell him she had practically pushed for a dinner date between him, her mother and herself then? "B-But he's been nothing but proper. I think he is trying to change, even."

"If you say so," a clearly unconvinced Soma scoffed, tilting his head a bit.

"He really did take mother's departure hard," she defended, "And I really think he regrets not doing enough."

"Just be careful, okay," Soma simply stated. "I don't want to see you hurt again."

"Yeah…" Erina replied, and deep down she knew where he was coming from. Because, she would have told herself the same thing. Not to trust what that man was trying to sell. So how was she supposed to tear down that last string on hope she had of finally healing her broken family? 'If I just tell Soma, right now, about the dinner we have planned… Would he be disappointed… in me?'

"But, if you ever need anything, just tell me, okay?" he reassured, his tone still as soft much to her relief. "If anything, we'll hide you at Polar Star!"

"Oh, this that right?" she asked, eyebrow raised, with a cocky little grin. "And what? You'll hide me in your room again? I think we've shared beds enough as is."

"Oh? Don't remember offering up my room," he teased back. "Polar Star Dorm has many rooms, being a dorm and all. Some even have girls in them, shocking I know."

"Soma…" she warned, her attempts at a warning ruined by her embarrassed smile.

"But, if you're that eager to sleep with me, then-" he paused briefly, the moment he saw her face flush instantly, and despite how… well, slow he could be with these things, he wasn't that dumb, so he had heard himself too. "…in my room, I mean," he attempted a course correction, also blushing. "Cause, that's what we'd do…"

"Naturally," was all she added. Then they both went silent again, with only the sounds of the traveled road to mask the silence. Both teens, facing opposite directions, their eyes set on the windows, looking out to the passing streets. Erina looked on, her head filled with thoughts, until she recalled something important, something she should really address sooner rather than later. "…Soma?"

"Yeah," he quickly replied, turning back to her, sounding a little uncharacteristically nervous.

"What I said a few days ago, about my parents, and linking them to you having you mom back," she began, and as she did she could see the minor changes in his expression, clearly having not expected to bring this up at all. "I… was out of line. It's not the same thing. It could never be."

"I know you didn't mean it like that," Soma merely replied, and it irked her to no end how damn understanding he could be. He shouldn't be like this. If the roles had been reversed, as much as she would hate to admit it, she would have been pissed off at him for months, bringing it up at every argument she could, even if it didn't fit into the conversation at all. "We're all tensed, and family is family… So, I got what you meant. Don't worry about it."

"Stop that."

"What?" he asked, sounding honestly confused.

"Always shrugging off everything I do," she told him, looking him right into his eyes, "I always get away with everything. I can be mean, selfish, and ego-centric, and yet, I'm never held accountable for it. It's not right! You should be mad at me. This is like, what, the second time in a few weeks I have to apologize to you for something and yet, here you are, just shrugging it off with a smirk!"

"Sorry, but-"

"Don't apologize for my apology!" she shot back, frowning and pouting at the same time, which he found adorable but maybe it wasn't the best time to tell her that. Then again, maybe it was.

"You look adorable when you're frustrated, you know."

"Huh?" she gave out a mix of a laugh and scoff. "So, what? I'm always adorable then?"

"I'm pretty sure you know the answer to that," he replied with that same smirk she loved and hated in equal measures once again, and it frustrated her even further. She was going to complain, tell him to take things seriously for once, allow her to get some comeuppance for once, but he added one last question, which made her outright malfunction. "Say, can I kiss you?"

She froze in place, eyes wide.

Why?! Why, she asked herself, did he always do this to her? Instead of doing the sensible thing, and shutting her up with a surprise kiss, taking her as his without a word, he usually first asked. It was the gentlemanly thing to do, she knew, but it made it all the harder for her. Because it meant she had to say "yes", and by saying "yes", she made it clear that "yes", she wanted him to kiss her. And in turn, she wanted to kiss him. And of course she wanted to, but she didn't want to voice her desires like that. It was infuriating that he made her admit these things!

He just looked on, smile still in place, patiently waiting for the frowning girl to give him a reply, and she could swear he could read her mind. Took pleasure in it even. He had stolen kisses from her before, like on the elevator way back then, but most of the time, he seemed to enjoy seeing her squirm to mutter out a soft "yes" before he took her.

Her frown deepened. Two could play that game.

"I don't know," she replied, her tone ice-cold, or as close as she could manage to fake it. "Can you?"

The fact that he outright laughed in response irked her, but she wasn't going to back down. He wanted a kiss, he was going to have to steal it from her. Soma looked on, his eyes searching hers for a moment.

"You serious?" he asked.

"Who knows?" she answered.

"I see, then that means, this is a challenge…" he began, as he edged closer to her, his hand finding itself on top of her exposed leg, sending a shiver right up to her very spine. She refused to show it, biting her lower lip a bit as he edged closer, the smell of his cologne now etched into her memory forever. She needed to learn the name of the cologne he used, since she was planning on buying him a truckload. Then he etched closer, and she instinctively closed her eyes, her glossy lips slightly parted, waiting for the boy to take what was his anyways. "…and you more than anyone knows I never back down… so…"

But before either could say or do anything else, the limousine slowly came to a halt, and almost instantly Erina bounced away from Soma with a cute yelp and landed on the opposite side of the seats, quickly fixing her hair and her skirt moments before their driver opened the door for them.

Soma got off the limo laughing, while Erina got off blushing and warning him to shut up or else. Then she found out where he had taken her, and it occurred to her that she would have never guessed even if she had tried.

"This is…?"

"It's a bowling alley," Soma replied with a smile, as the two were left there on those busy streets, the Sunday night crowd out in full force. "I know you don't normally go to these places, but you know what bowling is, right?"

"Of course," she quickly shot back, waving her head in such a manner, as if it were stupidly obvious. "I've… just never played, is all."

"Well, that's too bad, cause if I weren't a chef, I'd be a professional bowler, I'm just that good," Soma bragged with a cheeky grin, walking forwards and holding the door open for her. She smiled and followed.

"It's not too late to try," she teased with a smile as she walked inside. "Maybe you'll actually be the best at this, since, well, in cooking you'll always have to settle for second, at best, as long as I'm around."

"Them's fighting words," Soma said as they walked in, with him signaling her where they should be going to get shoes, which resulted in him having to explain to her that, no, they weren't shopping for shoes, but that they needed them to play. She scoffed, shaking her head, telling him that she had been just joking. "…Of course you were."

They both got a pair, with the young lady at the counter smiling a little too much at Soma for Erina's liking. She quickly took both of their own pairs to hold onto, the shock in her face evident when Erina gave her hers and the young woman couldn't even put a price on them. Soma couldn't blame her, really.

Then they moved to a free lane. There… weren't all that many available. It was crowded. Really crowded.

But they still got a good enough spot at the far end; far from the food but close to the bathrooms, so it was okay. Erina placed her purse down on one of the seats, while Soma quickly set up both their names into the system. Erina, meanwhile, looked at the sights. It was too… different for her. This place, so many people, from families, friends and other couples. The low lights made it look like a dance pop, while the wide selection of appetizers made it seem more like a bar.

Soma quickly took hold of one of the bowling balls, for himself, while skimming through them until he found the one with the lowest number, signaling the lowest weight. Ideal for a novice princess, he assumed. He then signaled at her to join him to give her a crash course on the sport.

She got up, almost slipped with her new shoes, causing the boy to masterfully catch her before she fell; years of kitchen experience sharpening his senses greatly. He held her up, she blushed and pouted, and he laughed. Then he explained the ground rules to her, she shrugged, taking the ball from his hands, and threw her first shot. It surprisingly hit two pins… from the lane next to theirs.

She outright threatened to leave right then and there if he didn't stop laughing after that.

Soma then decided to try and give a more detailed lesson. He had exaggerated his bowling ability, he admitted, but he played a lot as a kid, first with his parents, then with his friends. Mayumi was a monster playing this, he recalled, but kept that to himself, since while she always denied it, he knew Erina did not like Soma mentioning her much.

So, Soma showed her how to bowl. First he did the toss himself, managing to knock down eight of the ten pins. A good shot, he said, considering how rusty he was.

Pathetic, she had replied, with all the boasting he had done beforehand. He took it as another challenge.

Then came the next part. After he took another swing, knocking down another pin, taking his score up to nine on that round, it was her turn again, and it was here Soma changed his strategy. He pulled her close, held her frame right up to his, and motioned with his hands how she should move her body to properly play. She blushed all the way through the lesson, trying to focus on his words but instead only managing to focus on his touch. How his fingers touched parts of her he had not touched before. Up her arms, down her legs, right across her stomach, sending shivers every single time. Still, she persisted, and come her next shot, she took down a single pin, on their lane this time.

She jumped up, an excited squeal coming from the girl which made her out to be a giddy little girl instead of the infamous ice-queen she played herself up to be.

He would have continued to make fun of her for it, but as soon as she raised the bowling ball and threatened to toss it at his head was the moment he cleared his throat and kept quiet. Then the continued to play into the next round.

"My turn again, right?" she asked, as she looked up at the score with a pout. She had four points in total, he had twenty-two.

"Yep, just remember, let it slide, don't slam it," he repeated, and she shrugged.

"I know that much," she said, and she did, at least now.

And as Erina took her sweet time to aim, her brow furrowed, now fully focused to getting a strike even if it killed her, Soma couldn't help but… well, check her out. She was simply stunning, and despite all the time they have been together, he really couldn't help but agree with the thought that yeah, deep down, she was way too much for him. But, similar to that thought, he could also tell that several other guys nearby kept stealing glances their way, clearly looking at Erina. And while he couldn't blame them, because they were all only human, it still kinda irked him.

It didn't help matters that she took ages to take her shot, so invested in aiming properly that Soma softly offered some assistance, but that was quickly shot down. She had this, damn it.

…And, she clearly did not.

"Hey, you knocked three pins down this time!" he excitedly told her.

"Don't patronize me," she growled, as she took a seat, signaling at him to take his turn. "Go on, oh great one, you keep making fun of me, but it is my first time. You, a so-called great player, can't even manage to knock them all down in your two turns."

"…True," he noted. "Tell you what, I knock down all ten this time, and I get that kiss."

"What?!" she quickly shot out, her blush already evident. "What's up with you tonight? We've done that… before."

"Doesn't really matter," he defended, taking hold of the bowling ball that was more to his weight. "Been a while since then. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're avoiding me lately."

"I am not!"

"Then?" he asked again, his eyes glancing at hers. "Is that a yes?"

"…All ten of them," she agreed, and his smile grew. "And it's on this round. No repeats!"

"Yes ma'am!" he replied while he turned to the lane. She looked on, wondering how much he would try to focus to get it. It was very hard, she had learned, and despite him getting an eight, and then one more to total a nine, he hadn't yet gotten all ten down. Maybe, if he could repeat that shot, and then get the last two this time, he could manage. It made her both nervous and giddy, because why in the world would she even agree to this? He had kissed her on live television after all, how much more did he want from her?

Then he took his turn. And no, he didn't take hardly any time to aim. He simply took the stance, and threw it…

…And he took down all ten at once.

"Strike!" the machine called out, and Erina was left there, mouth agape, turning from the screen to the boy, the biggest shit-eating grin ever plastered all over his face.

"You-You-You've been holding back!" she accused, getting up and pointing at him. "You totally did that on purpose!"

"To be fair, I did not miss purposely," he countered. "I did, however, sorta figured I got back into the swing of things after those few turns. It's not like I can safely say I can pull that off every upcoming round, but every now and then I can manage. So… time to pay up."

"Oh no, that was unfair," she shot back, sitting back down, arms still crossed.

"Oh, come on, really?" he said with a smirk, taking a seat right next to her, as she scoffed and looked the other way. "These are ironclad rules, I don't make them. And you lost our… Bowlgeki, so you have to pay up."

"Bowlgeki?" she asked, turning back to him and failing to hide her laugh.

"Not as catchy, I'll admit," he replied, smile still in place, and as much as she wanted to pretend she was mad, she really couldn't be further from it. So she took a small breath, and moved a bit towards him, edging a little bit closer. It was still hard for her, even when it was him initializing a kiss like this. God forbid he made her be the one to kiss him, she'd outright faint. But even so, with her heart threatening to burst out of her chest like some sci-fi alien creature, Soma softly took hold of her hand, and slowly pulled her in…

"My, how very steamy!"

The overly-cheery voice that had spoken inches from their faces caused both teens to push back and immediately split, both blushing heavily, and both turning to face someone they had not expected to find that night.

"Asahi!" Soma called out, shocked to see the Tootsuki-challenger and so-called King of Noirs here of all places.

"Asahi," Erina voiced, surprised, as she then flashed her half-brother a smile, "What are you doing all the way out here?"

"Same as you two I suppose," he replied, jumping over the couch, and landing right in-between the two, much to Soma's dismay, which he had a hard time masking. "Well, not exactly the same, as I'm not, you know, making out with someone, but hey, I'm having fun, and that's what's important. Ain't that right champ?"

"…Yeah," a confused Soma replied.

"But I mean, all the way out here," Erina clarified, clearly not as bothered by the intrusion as Soma was. "You have an all expenses stay at the best Culinary Resort in all Japan Asahi. I'm sure there's more fun to be had there."

"Not everything in life is money, sis," the elder brother explained. "And why so formal? Can't you call me brother, you know, at least once? Maybe big bro, or… how would it be here in Japan? Asahi-onii-chan?"

"It would be way too embarrassing to call you that!" Erina quickly shot the request down, "Besides, it would be "san", not "chan". You're older."

"But chan sounds cuter," Asahi said with a pout, before he turned to Soma, "Doesn't it?"

"It does… onii-chan," Soma replied with the same cheery tone Asahi was using.

"…Okay, coming from you it sounds weird," Asahi replied, pointing at Soma briefly before turning to Erina again. "Let's not use that then. So, I take it pops doesn't know you're here."

"I… I'm not a little girl," Erina defended, forcing herself not to pout childishly. "I have no need to ask father for permission about every little thing. Does he know you're here?"

"No, and that is a fair point, but," Asahi added, pointing at Soma again, "to be fair; I'm not the one dating someone he hates."

"He doesn't hate-" Erina began, but the moment both Soma and Asahi gave her the exact same look she decided it wouldn't be worth it to even try to lie. "…It doesn't matter, anyway."

"Why are you here though?" Soma asked, arms crossed, at the elder boy. Asahi turned to him again, same little grin ever present.

"Same as you, just as I said," he replied, "I just had to get away from all of that… crazy world. I'm not cut out for that. I needed fresh air, hang out with real people. Plus, Dove's insufferable, so…"

"You mention that girl an awful lot, brother," Erina teased with a smile, and for once, Asahi seemed a bit surprised.

"Oh no, you don't get to even humor that thought," he quickly defended standing up. "Say, we barely ever hand out, and I really want to get to know you better, both of you, I mean. Why don't we go out and eat, my treat?"

"Ah, that sounds awesome man, but," Soma quickly began, but still, he turned to Erina, and she looked pensive. He caught her glimpse, and she caught his, before she quickly realized it and spoke.

"No, its fine Asahi," she said. "I took tonight off to be with Soma. We can plan something some other day, promise."

"Oh… right, yeah, of course," the Noir responded, clearly dismayed, but he still nodded. "I should leave you kids alone, sorry guys, didn't mean to intrude like that," and he gave the duo a soft bow, before he made his way out of their hair, granted, right over the couch again, but still. Erina then turned to Soma, forced smile still in place, which caused the redhead to hate how much he really did not like seeing her unhappy.

"…You want to take him up on his offer, don't you?" Soma asked.

"What? No. I meant what I said."

"I know you did, but he is your brother," Soma added. "And… you really want to hang out, all three of us. Come, be straight with me."

"…Is it that obvious?" she asked, almost meekly. He shrugged. "…But, no, Soma. I can't keep doing this to you. We haven't gone out it ages. And…"

"It's fine," he said. "As long as you promise next time we make-out from start to end, then we can humor this dumb brother of yours," he said with a laugh, and she lightly slapped his arm, frowning playfully. She didn't answer, but her look told him everything, and he nodded. "All right, let's go with a date with Asahi then."

So, despite himself, Soma stood up, jumping over the couch as well, despite Erina's soft protests, and he called out to the Noir, rather loudly at that.

"Onii-chan! Come back here!" Erina heard Soma yell out, and she could only cover her face with her hands, half embarrassed, and laughing despite of it.

-0-

"Con Calma, Don Calma?" Soma read aloud, at the restaurant-like bar (or was it bar-like restaurant?) that Asahi had taken the three of them to. They had walked all the way there, chatting away a bit, with Erina taking in the sights of the "commoners'" world. Both Soma and Asahi found it adorable. Then they had reached this place, which Asahi assured them was an assured great time. It was certainly… unique, Soma noted.

"Yeah, owner's a bit eccentric, but a very good guy deep down," Asahi replied, as he held the door open for the two of them. Erina smiled and entered, while Soma stared for a moment as Asahi signaled at him to go inside as well. As he did Asahi jokingly faked closing the door on his face, which caused Soma to jump back, before Asahi just laughed and signaled at him to go in. Soma was sure he was just joking. He was sure…

As soon as the three of them walked in, the somewhat crowded restaurant quickly lit up, with the patrons, all regulars Soma assumed, all turning at the fresh faces. Erina in particular drew in a lot of longing stares, and Soma was irked at each and every one of them.

"Hey!" Asahi quickly greeted, hands on his hips, standing before the crowd. "Where's the man of the hour? I have the most special guests here!"

"Oh dear me, Asahi sweetie, is that you?" Don Calma walked out of the kitchen, drink shaker on hand. "Do not tell me that that lovely thing you have there is the ever-precious little chef I have heard so much of?"

"Eh?" Erina muttered, her head tilted to the side, charmingly confused.

"That's right," Asahi replied gleefully. "And the other one is my little sister!"

"Eh?!" Soma blurted out, confused but far from charmingly.

"I jest," Asahi played it off, before he turned back to Don Calma. "So give us your best table please, and the chef's special while you're at it!"

The trio were quickly seated, and soon enough all the other customers returned to their business, all of them eating and drinking, chatting away. It seemed, that despite the entrance, none of them knew who Erina Nakiri really was, otherwise they'd be all over her. Erina looked around. It was a peculiar place, for sure, but with so many people, all enjoying themselves, it clearly wasn't any place bad. Soma thought the same, surprised Asahi had such contacts, wondering if the young man had actually worked here at some point. He seemed to know it well enough, and it almost felt like Asahi walking in her was like Soma walking into Yukihira's.

"What would it be?" one of the waiters, a very peculiar looking individual himself, asked, almost appearing out of thin air. "Don Calma is already hard at work on the chef's special, so would you folks fancy an appetizer beforehand, or perhaps a drink?"

"They're minors," Asahi voiced softly, pointing to the two, "So, what will you kids have? Remember, you can ask for anything, money ain't an issue."

"Asahi, really, you don't have to pay for me-us, I mean," Erina quickly said. "Let me be the one to-"

"None of that, the offer was made with it being my treat," Asahi quickly cut in, "And treat I will. So what do you like? You always strike me as the sweet drink kid of girl. Piña Colada?"

"Hmm…." Erina looked like she wanted to argue against his proposal still, but relented. "It's fine, order whatever. I'm not all that picky-"

Soma's loud scoff caused her to pause and turn to him with a frown, while he quickly cleared his throat and apologized, since he really had not meant to do that.

"Having high standards is not being picky, per say," Asahi defended. He then turned to the waiter, while saying, "Make that three piña coladas, all virgins, but if a drop or two of alcohol falls in on mine, that's fine."

The waiter nodded, bowed slightly and went away. Asahi then turned to the couple, deciding to follow up on his earlier statement. "That said," he added, "you really shouldn't just stick to the high class eateries. Otherwise, you'll miss out on some very good, small places. Ain't that right?" he turned to Soma, and the boy cocked his head.

"You mean?"

"Like Yukihira's," Asahi clarified, and Soma felt a nudge on his throat at the mention. "Sometimes the greatest of places aren't marketed as such. Places, like people, can surprise you."

"I… I've come to learn," Erina admitted, blushing a bit.

"You've been to Yukihira's?" Soma asked, his eyes wide, hopeful.

"Kinda," Asahi admitted with a wry smile. "I tasted every dish in that menu handcrafted by Jouichirou himself, yet… I didn't get the chance to taste the real thing. The namesake, you know?"

"Oh…" Soma voiced softly.

"…Soma's mom was the greatest of chefs," Erina quickly cut in, her hand on Soma's without even realizing it. "I've seen her recipes, even tried to recreate a few. They are… something else."

"Of that I have no doubt," Asahi said. "Jouichirou spoke wonders of her, and admittedly, of you too Soma."

"You were close to my dad, right?" Soma asked, since he had never really gotten a definite answer to that. He really should talk to his dad again soon. "An apprentice of sorts, weren't you?"

"Of sorts," Asahi replied. "I owe him a lot, actually. Hence why I'm not ratting you out to Azami, despite the fact that that would earn me major points with my old man."

"…Why are you even in this Asahi?" Erina asked, her eyes fixated on her brother, who gave her a puzzling look. "The Shokugeki, to take us down. Why did you side with father?

"What other choice did I have?" Asahi shot back. "I couldn't just walk up to your family and ask them to take me in. I'm not a Nakiri, I'm barely a Nakamura at that, but, even then, I'm not a part of your family. So, when word spread of what he was plotting, and I learned I was related to him, and by extension, you; I… really didn't like the idea of him hurting you like that."

"Father is not in this too-"

"Sis," Asahi cut in, turning to her, his eyes softening for a moment. "That man… will never change. You give him a chance, and he will simply hurt you again. I'm in that team, so that he wouldn't bring in someone worse."

As Asahi spoke, Soma looked on, his eyes widened ever-so slightly. He wasn't overly fond of Asahi, but he couldn't even begin to deny that he agreed with every single word the young man was saying. It was everything he himself would have told Erina. 'He's really looking out for her, as a brother should.'

"But," Erina tried to counter his argument, despite her tone sounding anything but assured. "You don't know that for sure. Why would he agree to our d-" and immediately she bit her tongue. She had not told Soma about that yet.

"Your dinner plans with him and momma Nakiri?"

Erina's eyes went wide plates as soon as she heard her brother voice her secret. She looked at him, knowing he had meant no harm in it, but she could only bite her lip as she turned to Soma, who looked almost as shocked as she did.

"…Dinner plans?" Soma asked, his tone still soft, not angry; just confused.

"I-It's just something he…" Erina tried.

"Oh, my bad, was that supposed to be a secret?" Asahi asked, shifting his posture from his seat, his expression one of concern. "Sorry, it's not my place to reveal stuff like that… Just, he was so open about it to us when he came back to the hotel. He plans to have me there too, and Dove too, because of course."

"Why Dove?" Erina asked without even thinking, her expression clearly one not overjoyed at the news.

"She is his protégé after all," Asahi replied with a shrug. "He made it clear he wants her to have something prepared for the occasion. He's hitting your mom with all the guns, it seems."

"But he told me I was the one that was going to cook something up!" Erina quickly blurted out, even standing up, her expression one of pure frustration. "Why would he have her make anything?! He knows how mom is! She's never just eats something-"

"He trained her specifically for this," Asahi interjected, his expression completely serious. "That's his plan. You make something, she makes something. Lo and behold, Dove's cooking is better suited for Mana Nakiri's God's Tongue, and just like that he proves that all the abuse and neglect he subjected you to was "warranted", in his twisted mind or whatever. Granted, this is all my assumption, he didn't exactly spell it out, but… I just don't trust him okay."

"…He'd never go that far," Erina replied, her expression downcast, eyes narrowed.

"Why?" came a counter, but not by Asahi, but by Soma. Erina looked up, almost afraid to look at her boyfriend in the eyes. "Why would you put that past him? This is the guy that made your life a living nightmare when you were a kid. Nothing Asahi is saying sounds out of character to me."

"You don't really know him."

"It's what you've told me."

"I was young," she shot back. "I may have been exaggerating things. Soma… If only you had seen how he spoke to mother, to me, he really wants to make amends."

"Erina, he's a couple Shokugekis short of shutting the entire school down," Soma couldn't help but argue back, and Erina frowned, because deep down, she knew it was a poor hill to die on.

"We're just watching out for you," Asahi added, pointing to himself and Soma, as Erina had no idea how to even respond anymore. It couldn't be like this. The very thing she wished, which seemed so close to becoming true, all just another well crafter lie. "Let me help you. I'm going to be there too. I can practice a bit with you, make sure you make something that blows everyone out of the water. Then, only then, maybe, just maybe, you can make that man realize how wrong he has been all this time."

Erina seemed to pause, taking a seat once more as she played around with the tip of her hair, if nothing but out of nervousness. It was this time that Soma took hold of her hand in turn, pressing it softly, reassuringly. She looked up to him, her expression nothing short of lost. And again, he just smiled.

"We'll figure something out," Soma reassured. "Figure out what he really wants. If… If his intentions are genuine, then great, but if not, we'll knock him right back out of your life," he paused, turning to Asahi, who smiled and nodded.

"For whatever reason, our dear old dad seems to think that what I'm really after is proving myself up on that stage, taking you both down or something," he explained. "I really don't care about this match up. I know that even if I do win, if our Noir Team beats the Elite Ten, Azami will still take all the glory. But…" he added, taking hold of his little sister's other hand, "That also means he doesn't expect me to let you both in on his plans. So, let's work together! I'll tell you everything I know, and that way we can make sure Tootsuki does not fall-"

Erina, in an act that outright surprised both boys, motioned and nervously threw her arms over Asahi, pulling herself into a warm hug with her older brother. She buried her face into the nape of his neck, and whispered something only he heard. Just a few words. He looked stunned, but only for a brief moment, before he pulled her in. Soma tried his best to hide his smile, because it was a precious sight, and he much, much rather she get closer to her well-intentioned brother than her father of questionable-motives.

"There, there," Asahi said, as he softly caressed his little sister's back. "Let's promise each other to watch for another, cause face it kiddo, you're not an only child anymore."

She seemed to smile at the nape of his neck, before she pulled away, seating back down, as Soma began to tease her to the affectionate display, causing her to pout once more. In time, their table was filled with a variety of dishes, alongside their drinks, which Asahi sadly realized had no drop of liquor on it. Erina and Soma were mystified, asking why they were being served so much, but Asahi assured them that Don Calma was a close friend, another man deemed as a Noir by the culinary world, and someone who was actively trying to be legitimate with this little place.

So they ate, they talked, and they laughed. Asahi was very preoccupied with making sure Erina was satisfied, despite her attempts to downplay just how hard to please she really was. Asahi was having none of it, wanting her to truly enjoy herself, as he plainly stated again and again. Soma could only laugh, telling the elder brother what an undertaking that would be, but it seemed Don Calma took it as a challenge, and in the end, Erina ended up tasting about thirty different dishes, giving her opinion on each and every one of them. Only three were at the standard she was used to, not amazing, but good enough, a fact she offered some praise to the establishment for.

Don Calma broke down into tears.

Asahi had to awkwardly call in their waiter to pull the elder man away.

"Thanks for this, all of it," Erina fondly told Asahi, who smiled as he placed his hand on top of her head and patted her, despite her growing blush.

"Anytime," he assured. "I'll see you back at Tootsuki, or might even give you a visit soon enough. Kinda wanna get to know my cousin a little bit more too."

"Alice would be thrilled," Erina admitted, before she turned, and Soma held the door for her, allowing her to walk out.

"Thanks man," Soma added, turning to Asahi, whose smile remained. "She… really needs someone like you."

"Just as she does you," Asahi shot back. Soma didn't seem to know how to properly end the conversation, so he just smiled and nodded, turning back to leave, before Asahi added, "Oh, and, while I didn't want to say it in front of her, lest I worry her more. Dad has been keeping tabs on you."

"On me?"

"Kid called Loren," Asahi answered, and Soma couldn't help but frown at the name. "He's Dove's little brother, or something to that extent. Be wary of that."

"Wait, so… Azami trained Loren too?" Soma asked, his mind racing back to the fantastic dishes that boy seemed to prepare, so amazing that they seemed to eclipse Tootsuki itself. That was Azami's doing?

"No," Asahi flatly answered. "Anything and everything that kid "cooked", it wasn't his. Not sure how they pulled it off, but…" Asahi added, and upon hearing his answer, Soma couldn't help but feel a chill run up and down his very spine. "…It's Dove. It's all her. All Loren probably does is listen to her instructions and reheat her precooked stuff. Glorified TV dinners. Maybe the taste is not as good as it would be freshly made, but…"

"If that's just him reheating and retouching her dishes," Soma voiced, a very peculiar hint of concern evident in his tone. "Then the real thing, made by her hands, would be…"

"…Like I said," Asahi warned, and it sounded far more threatening the second time around. "Azami trained her for this."

-0-

Soma walked out of the restaurant deep in thought, his mind racing with everything Nao had warned them about. It made sense, he noted, and he shouldn't be too surprised. And in fact, he wasn't all that much surprised by Loren being a mole. It was not that well hidden, actually, but the fact that it wasn't his dishes, but just watered down versions of Dove's that still tasted leagues better than most of their own dishes was what really perplexed him. It was worrying, and at the same time, exciting. What he would give to be able to take her on!

Then his thoughts waned, the moment he caught glimpse of Erina, standing by the sidewalk, having already called for the limousine to pick them up. Right there, under nothing but the moonlit sky, her big, bright eyes lost in thought, he couldn't help but think to himself.

'Has she always been this beautiful?'

He knew the answer to that. Of course she was. But, seeing her so vulnerable, so real, it felt otherworldly even to him. Still, he approached the girl that had pulled him back to Tootsuki, his princess still trapped in her own castle, as he took of his jacket and silently placed it over shoulders, causing her to look to him, surprised by the suddenness of the act. She was cold, he knew.

"You okay?" he asked.

"…No," she answered honestly.

"We'll figure something out," Soma assured, his hands to his side, looking out onto the now near empty streets. It had sure gotten late. If Fumio caught wind of him being out at this hour, he'd get stuck with cleaning duties for the reminder of the school year.

"I already have," she replied, and he turned back to her, his eyes clearly showing his curiosity. Then she smiled. "If my father is going to bring Dove, all because she's like family to him and whatever, then it should be fine then…"

"What?"

"If I bring you."

It was impossible to hide the way her words affected him, as his expression morphed completely. He couldn't quite even begin to pretend he had not expected it, and even if she didn't quite say it plainly, how to her, he was almost family. That the girl that had wanted nothing more than to see him kicked out no more than a year ago, no was welcoming him into her inner most guarded circle.

"Soma…"

"Hmm?"

"…Kiss me."

And under the vast skies, with clouds of uncertainty hanging over their heads like an omen, the two young lovers pulled each other closer, deciding that at least for tonight, they'd just enjoy each other for every second that remained until their date was over. That come hell or high water, they'd face it together. At least, until they're next proper date, which they were already planning for after their next match and this upcoming dinner with the parents they were hoping to somehow, against all odds, salvage.

But little did they know, that all their plans would shortly unravel in ways neither would have anticipated, and that the lovely third date they both planned so eagerly for… would never come to pass.

-0-

Long after the couple had left the still crowded and chatty restaurant, Asahi remained at his table, sipping down the drink he still wished had been spiked at least a little, before their waiter approached. The man gave him a curious look, before looking out the front door.

"The limo already came for them…" he told Asahi. "They're already on their way back. You planning on crashing here again?"

"…You make for a lousy waiter, you know that?" Asahi noted, placing the glass down and turning to face his right hand man. "But, decent enough work I suppose, Yuunosuke."

"My pleasure," Yuunosuke replied with a mock bow. "But never did I think I'd see the day where our King of the Night became such a protective and caring elder brother. I dare even say, little Miss Erina is as good as safe from any and all harm now."

As he spoke, the entire restaurant came to a sudden silence. All the other guests paused, turning around, all facing towards Asahi, as the Noir gave out a soft smile, all the half-eaten plates still in the table, as he slowly placed his drink down. They all stared, as slowly, Asahi placed his hand over his mouth, before starting to slowly, heartily laugh at it all.

"And scene!" Asahi cheerfully cried out, as all the guests in the restaurant quickly raised their glasses and roared in success, as the leader of their pack continued to laugh. "That little sheltered girl really is so damn gullible," he said in between bouts of laughter, as several of the restaurant's "guests", all infamous Noirs in the own right, quickly began to pick up all the dishes they had left unfinished. "Alright everyone! That was masterfully acted. We almost looked like a genuine establishment."

"How rude!" Don Calma quickly called out, coming out. "We were outright splendid."

"Did you really need for her to taste so many dishes?" Sargenta added, as she also walked out of the kitchen, her expression clearly worn out. "I know you prepared a lot of ingredients, but still. Following your recipes is not an easy task, you damn jerk! I swear if I had to cut any more meat I would have gone and used a damn chainsaw!"

"Now, don't be absurd Sarge," Asahi mocked, as he took a stance up on the table itself, directing himself to all of his followers. "No then, here is where the fun part begins! You all heard the princess, which dishes she hated, which ones she likes, and three, just three!" he added with three fingers in the air, "That she found to her standards. And that's, no offense, being made by Don and Sarge, instead of yours truly."

"Fuck off," Sarge shot back annoyed, and Yuunosuke just laughed. The crowd continued to cheer.

"So let's get moving people!" Asahi announced, as he knew the entire group would follow his plan to the very letter. "That bastard Azami thinks he has this skillet by the handle, but he's about to find out how very wrong he is!" he roared, "We can make sure to push Erina's craft to its utmost! Make her utterly unbeatable to anyone but us! Let's get to work!"

The resulting cheer was resounding.

"-And by "let's" I mean you guys!" Asahi quickly added, arms still raised, with his fingers pointed to the kitchen. "Because I'm doing all the heavy lifting! And I'm tired! So, go, move your butts! Start working up a killer menu meant to bring down the God's Tongue itself!"

The resulting cheer was a little less resounding, but they all still pushed forwards and did as they were told. Aside from Yuunosuke Tanaka and Sargenta Kruel, who were actively Asahi's top Noirs, and Don Calma, who got tasked with pretending to own the place, the rest of the Noirs followed the lead of Asahi's best subordinates: Kou Shiou, Claude Ville, Boogie Malcanta and Bonnie Harriet.

Those four took charge and led the others into the vast kitchen, in order to take all of Erina's remarks and redefine each and every dish, come what may. As they began to work, the sounds of a full kitchen quickly filling the area, Yuunosuke and Sarge remained behind, both looking at Asahi, both with different expressions.

"If you got something to say," Asahi voiced, sitting back down, not even bothering to look at either of them. "Now's the time."

Sarge seemed poised to say something, but she stopped herself. Instead she turned her gaze elsewhere, simply muttering, "No, it's not my place. I'll just focus on our task." Then she walked away, right towards the kitchen, followed by a still complaining Don Calma.

"She's probably worried," Yuunosuke said. "They all are. We have everything riding on this. And, if we fail, we'll have everyone coming at us at once. And not just the WGO. I'm talking the likes of Nakamura, Sadatsuka, Roberts, Eizan and the entire Nakiri family," he warned, and Asahi just shrugged, making it clear that if anyone knew the risks, it would be him. "Just don't lose focus. If this doesn't work, there doesn't exist a submarine powerful enough to be able to find where they'll dump our bodies."

"Relax you worrywart," Asahi just shrugged it off, waving him away, "Don't ruin the mood. I've gone back and forth on this plenty of times. If I can just get her to the level where she can take out Dove, Julius and Ashitaro, that takes Azami's proposition completely out of the picture. All I would have to do, is take her down, and all her remaining little elite friends, right before the entire WGO, and my name will be bigger than Jouichirou Saiba. I've struggled too much Yuunosuke, I can't have my father have his way and take down Tootsuki himself. His team needs to lose, and it must be me who wins… and only me."

"Asahi… And forgive me if I'm overstepping," his ever faithful aide voiced, his done a bit more dry than usual. "Do you really think you can polish her to the level where she can actually take on any of the Noirs your father has gathered?"

"I have too," Asahi admitted, "And no matter what, I will."

"Even if you have to push her past her limits?" Yuunosuke inquired.

"Even if I have to break her," countered, his expression sharp, his smile sharper. "And she'll never see it coming, because, in my little sister's eyes," he added, "Unlike our father's pathetic, downright villainous impression he left on her… I'm her heroic big brother."

And as the night slowly came to an end, and the Noirs slowly began to perfect their craft, Asahi was left alone at the table where his master plan had gone off without a hitch, the perfect charade, months in the making, executed flawlessly. He stared out, into the darkened skies, knowing that in just a couple of weeks, he would be the biggest thing in the culinary world, and all he had to do was break one pathetic little girl…

"I'm just thankful," Erina said, her head buried into the nape of his neck, "That I get to call you my brother."

…And throughout that very dark night, not a single soul seemed to notice, how their unshakable king and fearless leader, for the first time in his life, had his picturesque smile falter ever-so slightly.

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Next Time! The Third Clash!